Becky Rodgers (left) pledges support and good luck to Rochelle Galindo out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley. Galindo has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay.

Kendra Garcia (right) talks with Rochelle Galindo while her grandfather Larry McDaniel listens as she introduces herself while canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 in Greeley Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley. Galindo has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay. (Photo by Joe

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Conrad Esparze listens as Rochelle Galindo, head custodian at Lafayette Elementary School, shares her information with him while out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 in Greeley. She has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Rochelle Galindo, head custodian at Lafayette Elementary School, out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 in Greeley. She has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Jordon Sipres pledges his support to Rochelle Galindo as she introduces herself while out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley. Galindo has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay. October 30, 2018 in Greeley, Colorado.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Antonia Brambila talks with Rochelle Galindo head custodian at Lafayette Elementary School, as she introduces herself while out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 in Greeley. Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley. Galindo has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Lurdez Zamora is happy to meet Rochelle Galindo out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 in Greeley. She has a house full of registered democrats and all five have already voted for Galindo Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley. Galindo has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Rochelle Galindo, head custodian at Lafayette Elementary School, out canvassing neighborhoods during her run for House Seat 50 in Greeley. She has already served on the Greeley City Council but was inspired to reach for state office after seeing her teacher colleagues walk out of class this spring and demand better pay Oct. 30, 2018 in Greeley.

Democrats are counting on Colorado educators who were politically invigorated by last spring’s teacher walkouts to help push through a major statewide tax increase for schools and usher candidates from within their own ranks into office.

There are at least five current and retired teachers, all Democrats, vying for state offices in next week’s elections, including Dave Young, who is running for state treasurer after being term-limited out of the House District 50 seat in Weld County.

Young, a retired middle school science and technology teacher, said he hopes this year’s walkouts over funding woes in Colorado classrooms have helped launch a new political movement involving teachers, principals and support personnel. It’s a trend being observed nationwide.

“I think there is a new wave, a new generation of energetic professionals coming into education who clearly see we have problems with funding and will try to fix these problems in numerous ways, including the campaign trail,” Young said.

The newest candidates emerging from Colorado schools include Bri Buentello, a special education teacher from Pueblo, and Rochelle Galindo, the head custodian at Lafayette Elementary School. If elected, Galindo would fill Young’s seat and be the first openly gay Latina to represent solidly Republican Weld County in the state legislature.

Both say they were galvanized to run after participating in the walkouts. They also say they’re frustrated that education policy always seems to be written by people who have spent little or no time in a classroom.

“I am tired of all our problems being ignored by politicians, education consultants and administrators who have never taught a day in their lives, but are creating statewide education policy,” said Buentello, who teaches at-risk kids at Pueblo’s East High School and is running for the House District 47 seat.

Buentello’s classroom has no air conditioning during 100-degree summer days and uses outdated textbooks with missing pages, if not chapters.

“Our education funding is sliding off the cliff. And, frankly, until you have a child in a public school system like in Pueblo or in Rocky Ford, you don’t know how bad it is,” Buentello said.

Galindo, who previously has served on the Greeley City Council, said she’s seen teachers at Lafayette Elementary struggle to provide resources with tight budgets.

“Every single day I see how hard they work, how all of us who are connected to kids work to provide them with the best education possible,” said Galindo, who is member of the Boulder Valley Classified Employees Association.

The year of educator activism

Nationally, this year has been “defined by educator activism,” according to Education Week magazine, which in September counted almost 160 current teachers who are running for state legislative seats across the U.S., mainly in Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky and West Virginia — states that all have seen major teacher protests over funding.

Most of those educators are first-time candidates, with little political history. But they are riding a wave of activism that began in the spring, and about 88 percent of the teachers who will be on the ballot in November are Democrats, according to Education Week.

That follows a similar pattern in Colorado, where Republicans are generally anti-union — many teachers in the state are part of the Colorado Education Association — and skeptical of Amendment 73, which would raise an additional $1.6 billion a year through taxation for preschool through 12th-grade education, said Robert Duffy, a professor of political science at Colorado State University.

“When all those teachers marched to the state Capitol last spring, it was pretty obvious who was happy to see them there and who wasn’t,” Duffy said, adding that Amendment 73 has probably done more to get teachers politically motivated than anything else in past years.

“My hunch is that Amendment 73 has been the biggest catalyst so far this year for teachers, and most likely maybe for Democrats as well,” Duffy said. “I’d be really surprised to see a yard sign for Amendment 73 on the front yard of a registered Republican.”

“One size does not fit all”

Colorado Republicans running against educators say they are for good schools and better teacher pay. But Don Bendell, who is facing off against Buentello, said the state’s education system already is too burdened by administrative costs, and that’s stopping funding from going straight into classrooms.

Bendell also is for providing parents plenty of educational choices for their children, including charter and private schools. “The biggest problem facing our education system is the idea that throwing money at something will fix everything. Well, it won’t,” he said. “One size does not fit all and schools should be providing more choices to fit the needs of families.”

Michael Thuener, running against Galindo, said education is a priority among many voters in District 50, which is spread through Greeley, Evans and Garden City. Voters will pick the candidate that will fight to keep good schools in each neighborhood, he said.

“I think voters will be looking at each candidate, and, when they look at me, they will find a father that has children about to start school, someone with a personal stake in ensuring that our children have the best education possible, with happy, well-paid teachers,” Thuener said.

Deborah Gustafson, a member of the school board in Keenesburg and a elementary school teacher in Brighton, said she was encouraged to run for a seat in the state Senate by fellow teacher who is currently chair of the Weld County Democratic Party.

“I think a lot of teachers are learning that the best way to produce good policy is to serve in the legislature and make decisions that directly impact public education,” Gustafson said. She is also close to retirement and in a better position to devote more time to legislation.

A Democratic state representative from Greeley who was facing a possible recall and resigned abruptly because of a criminal investigation has been ticketed for providing alcohol to a person younger than 21.

Earlier this week, dozens of Colorado middle school students celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage by discussing the future of politics with a group of female civic leaders including Denver City Council candidate Candi CdeBaca, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former state Sen. Polly Baca.